Enjoy the Bush Trail Ride 26th APRIL 2009  Yes it did stop raining in time to allow the trails to dry out enough for an intrepid band of 10 riders to enjoy a great sunny morning on the forest trails. Joining the ride were Anne Webster, Jennifer Laing, Sue Whalen, Rebecca Brauer, Sarah McEwan, Katrina Stuart, Claryce Phillips, Emily Inwood and Andrew and Carol Wright. Unfortunately Elese Gabauer who provided us with the map could not join us but we were grateful for her efforts. We set out about 9-15am after a quick briefing on trail riding etiquette, that is, don’t cause a stampede and horses who kick or bite go to the back of the field. We were initially concerned about crossing Bucca Road because so many cars do not slow down now for horses. However our fears were unfounded as Katrina’s husband, Brent acted as the traffic cop and actually stopped the cars – WOW. My husband Andrew led the ride and it was easy to see him being the only male and in shorts – an advantage of a stock saddle with swinging fenders. The first challenging moment came with a wet boggy crossing but all survived. On our first short trot Sarah found Shadow to be a little frisky but he soon mellowed as we put up the front. This also worked nicely later with Sue’s boy. We had a quite a few wet crossings and some boggy areas but in general the trails were great. Everyone was happy to just cruise along. There was lots of shade as the day got warmer. The ride was the perfect opportunity for many of the horses who had not been on many trails before to use their left and right brains with some narrow trails and close vegetation. For others just adjusting to having 9 other horses around was a good experience. Claryce and Emily did a great job down the back especially considering their horses hadn’t done much work before on the trails. Katrina’s steady chestnut always looked in control and happy to bring up the rear, while Jen’s Carly seemed OK wherever she found herself. Anne had a little heart stopping moment as Jim decided it was time to act like a young thoroughbred, about the same time Rebecca found herself hemmed in by about 3 other horses. However all worked out well. The ride ended with a picnic in the shade at the Wrights. Entertainment was provided by Sue and Jen’s horses proving that they still had a lot of energy left. Stay tuned for the next one. Carol Wright Click here to check out the gallery....
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